


As We Know It

by icanhearyouglaring



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: End of the World, Gen, Post-Season/Series 01, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-06 23:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12828642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icanhearyouglaring/pseuds/icanhearyouglaring
Summary: Flying over the frozen tundra gives them all a bad feeling, especially those who’ve lived (and died) through this before. Of course, it’s hardly the same. That was a nightmare. This is real. They've checked.





	1. Chapter 1

**_Some say the world will end in fire_ **

 

* * *

 

 

The first warning comes too late. 

Captain Atom’s face flashes onto a Hall of Justice monitor for all of two seconds before the building turns into a war zone. Rocket’s fast reflexes save them all from taking the brunt of the initial blast, but they’re only granted one horrifying moment of realization more before the Furies jump through the wall of flames they created and everything turns to  _shit_. 

They try to stay close together, but the Furies prefer to play with their prey individually. Miss Martian keeps them linked, and the telepathic advantage allows them slight leeway as they fight, but the Furies are a fierce group, trained and hardly communicative in the first place.

Zatanna and Rocket fight back to back and throw up shield after shield to stop one Fury from turning them into shish kabobs. Red Arrow and Artemis take turns shooting down the projectiles one of the Furies fires at them. Robin deflects the flaming knife that keeps getting thrown towards Aqualad’s back as the Atlantean tries to focus on keeping the Fury in front of him subdued. 

It isn’t until Miss Martian passes out from the heat and a Fury gets knocked out, back into the flames by one of Superboy’s punches that Aqualad makes his decision. 

“Fall back!” he shouts, throwing his opponent into the flames with his water bearers. “Get to the Zeta Tube! Delta point! Zatanna, cover us!”

“ _Erif dna ekoms, eb ruo kaolc!”_ Zatanna’s words force the smoke that fills the room to hide their movements from the Furies. She takes Rocket’s hand and they run towards the narrow hallway leading to the Zeta Tube, jumping on and over the chunks of rubble that block their path. Superboy runs in front of them as he breaks through the smoke cloak, carrying Miss Martian in his arms.  

Robin blinds the Fury he’s fighting with a flash bomb and uses her shoulders as a landing spot to kick her face first into the fallen statue of Superman. As soon as he leaps over the flames blocking the hall, Red Arrow’s voice breaks through the smokey air.

“Robin, duck!” 

Robin hits the ground just in time to see one of Red’s arrows knocking another arrow out of the air. 

“Too close,” he whispers, shaking off the shock.

“I agree,” says Aqualad, helping him off the floor as he reaches the entrance. He ushers Robin deeper into the Hall of Justice, but does not follow. The fire is taking its toll on him, but he brave the flames and waits for his friends. For a long moment, all he can hear is the sound of wood burning and beams falling.

Then he hears a chilling, echoing  _thunk_  followed by a muffled shout. Before he can take a step towards the noise, the smoke parts and Aqualad immediately registers the blood running down Artemis’s arm. The next thing he registers is that it doesn’t belong to her. 

“Take him,” Artemis huffs, trying to keep Red Arrow upright with one arm. The arrow sticking out of his shoulder glows and he groans in pain. He does the same when the one in his leg starts to glow, too. 

Aqualad takes over helping Roy at the same time a throwing star flies just above their heads. 

“They’re coming too fast,” Artemis says, quickly reaching into her quiver. She pulls out four arrows and motions for Aqualad to get moving. “Get inside. I’ll buy us more time.”

He’s halfway down the hall with Roy, keeping his head turned to maintain a visual on Artemis, when her words strike a chord within him.

For a full second, the ashes and smoke around her turn to ice and snow and it takes every ounce of self-control Kaldur has to not turn back and make  _sure_  they don’t lose her again.

But then she shoots two foam arrows at the Furies trying to catch them, intentionally blocking the doorway and the heat, and the snow turns back into ash. She sticks two explosives to the fragile walls of the doorway before she catches up to them. 

“Ready when you are,” she says, as she takes Roy’s other arm and they all move along to the empty Zeta Tube. 

“Ten seconds,” Aqualad commands as he inputs their coordinates on the destination pad. The foam begins to move.

Artemis nods and lets her finger linger over the detonator on her belt.

“Can you make it on your own?” he asks Roy, as he helps him to the platform.

“Can you?” Roy asks with a pained grimace as he ungracefully hops up to the Zeta Tube on his good leg. He levels a look at Kaldur as the transport begins. “Don’t get any ideas.”

_Red Arrow. B06._

Artemis presses the detonator in the same moment the Furies enter the doorway. The entire hallway collapses on top of them. Her satisfied smirk makes an appearance a bit too soon, considering the pile of rubble begins to move just a moment later.

“You next.” Kaldur takes her by the elbow and hastily pushes her towards the Zeta Tube. “Go!”

“But the-”

“Go now!”

_Artemis. B07._

“You’d better be  _right_  behind me!” she warns, just as the light engulfs her. 

He will be. He’s already learned this lesson. 

_Aqualad. B02._

When he steps into the Zeta Tube, the Hall of Justice lights up one last time, as the explosives he planted on the destination pad do their job. 

When he steps out of the Zeta Tube, all eyes are on him. 


	2. Chapter 2

_Some say in ice_

* * *

The small, old, triangular mess that is Delta Point has not changed since the last time Robin set foot in it three years ago. This is only the second time Robin has been inside the Greenland bunker-turned-base, and he would be the first to say that it is definitely two times too many. The computer systems are ancient compared to the tech at the Cave, and right now, he needs all the tech he can get.

First, the Zeta Tube system stopped working, then the automatic security doors, and now the comms. If they make it out of here, he’ll have to give Batman a detailed report on the sorry state of the place.  _When_ , Dick corrects himself.  _When_  they make it out.

 _Pick up, pick up, pick up,_ he thinks, pressing a key on the flickering screen in front of him. The screen says it’s broadcasting a League and Team-wide comm request, but no one answers.  _C’mon, Bruce. Alfred. KF. Anybody. Pick up._

As the signal continues to broadcast, Robin swivels in his seat and turns to Artemis. “Anything?”

“Nothing,” Artemis says, shaking her head. Without looking away from Robin, she dials another number into the satellite phone. “They don’t…  you don’t think…”

Robin stands and places a hand on her shoulder. “Just keep trying. I’m boosting the signal as much as I can. Keep an eye on that screen, too, in case anyone gets through.”

Artemis nods and takes up his post at the monitor. 

As he walks to the noisier point of the room, Robin sends a small smile to M’gann as she swipes ashes off of her cape. 

“Feeling better?” he asks, pausing behind the box she uses as a chair. 

“Much,” M’gann nods, smiling in spite of her exhaustion. “Another hour and I’ll be good as new.”

“Take your time. I have a feeling we’re going to be here for–”

A muffled shout that reverberates through the room, cutting Robin off. Robin rushes towards its source and comes to a stop just behind the action. A glowing feather on the ground catches his eye and he picks it up off the floor behind Zatanna. It’s burning hot, even through his gloves. 

“I– you know, I haven’t done this before,” Zatanna says as she takes a step back and nearly bumps into Robin. “If it heals the wrong way, you could be in serious pain.”

After Red Arrow grips Rocket’s hand harder and shouts into the rag they stuffed in his mouth, Rocket speaks for him. “I think he’s saying he’s already  _in_  serious pain.”

Kaldur nods as he tries to hold Red Arrow still on the makeshift examination table. “Zatanna, do not doubt your abilities. You removed the arrows perfectly.”

Dick chooses this moment to make his presence known. 

“Hey, you’ve got this. The hardest part is over,” Robin reassures her, holding the Furies’ feather in the air.

Zatanna looks from him to Red Arrow and takes a deep breath. She holds her hands over Red Arrow and steels herself.

“ _Dnem deR sworrA sdnuow_!”

Robin watches Kaldur’s tight shoulders loosen as Red Arrow stops fighting against his hold. The relief in their leader’s eyes puts a lump in Robin’s throat. They must have been thinking the same thing. A slew of unwelcome memories flash through his mind before they are willed away by a force that is not his own.

 _No. This isn’t like that. I checked._ M’gann’s voice filters through his head.  _This is real. We can get through this._

A rapid knock at the heavy security door sends them all into silence. Conner rises from his guard position and braces the door shut. The knocking continues and Dick watches Kaldur and Raquel join Conner at the door. The knocking stops as suddenly as it appeared. The team stands still and a small ‘ _ping’_  from the monitor goes largely ignored by most. 

Through the newly reestablished mental link, Kaldur asks,  _Superboy, what do you see?_

_Nothing. This whole outpost is lined with lead._

_You can thank Batman for that,_ Robin replies. 

The knocking returns, this time controlled and rhythmic and Robin removes his hand from his utility belt once he recognizes the beat.  _Oh_. 

Artemis, already out of her seat and running, beats him to giving the order. 

“Open the door!” Artemis shouts, passing the others to try and pry the heavy door open herself. “It’s Wally!”

Superboy helps her and the door moves much faster (that is to say it actually budges). The second the door is open wide enough, Wally slips inside and dusts snow off of his suit with shaky hands. He raises his goggles and Artemis wastes no time pulling him into a tight hug. 

After he hugs her back, Wally locks eyes with Dick and says, “It’s cold out there. The Zeta– Zeta Tubes work, just not  _here_ , so Batman had me, uh, Zeta as close as possible and then run the rest of the way. Got here as– as fast as I could. I’m so glad you guys are alright.”

Dick hears the relief in his friend’s voice plain as day, but it’s the underlying shock that interests him the most.  _What has he seen?_

“What’s going on out there?” Robin asks, sure he will not like the answer.

Wally doesn’t disappoint. He solemnly looks around the room before he says the one word no one wants to hear.

“Invasion.”


End file.
